History

During the 1950s, the demand for education beyond high school created tremendous support for a new community college to serve Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties. In September 1961, Delta College opened its doors to approximately 1,800 students who hoped for a brighter future.

Today, Delta College enrolls nearly 16,500 students annually. These individuals range from high school students taking Delta dual-enrollment classes to older adults returning to college to enhance their skills or for a fresh start.

The main campus has been expanded and renovated (with more than $68 million in changes since 1999), and Delta College has established three off-campus centers – the Planetarium & Learning Center in Bay City, the Midland Center, and the Ricker Center in Saginaw – to better serve each community.

In addition to our quality academic programs, we offer other learning-centered opportunities to our community through Delta College Quality Public Broadcasting, the Business Solutions group (Corporate Services, Lifelong Learning and Michigan Small Business Development Center) and the Planetarium.

Delta College Quality Public Broadcasting

WDCQ-TV Channel 19 and WUCX-FM 90.1, serve more than 1.2 million potential viewers and listeners on a daily basis. Quality Public Broadcasting has won numerous state and national award over the past years for its local documentaries Sawdust and Shanty Boys, Vanishing Voices and the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra’s 70th Anniversary Concert.

Delta College Corporate Services (DCCS)

Delta College Corporate Services is a world leader in developing, delivering and administering training solutions for the diverse performance and productivity needs for local, national and international businesses. TrainingIndustry.com named Corporate Services to its prestigious list of the nation’s "Top 20" providers for business training solutions for seven consecutive years from 2005-2011.

LifeLong Learning

LifeLong Learning classes allow you to pursue interests, grow in your career and meet professional requirements, or simply learn something new. These non-credit classes run four to 15 weeks.

Michigan Small Business Development Center (MI-SBDC)

Michigan Small Business Development Center (Great Lakes Bay Region) - located on the Delta College campus, managed counseling, training and research activities in 2009 for more than 1,157 clients, resulting in capital formation of $12.6 million and the creation of 42 new businesses and 155 new jobs.

Planetarium & Learning Center

The Delta College Planetarium & Learning Center seeks to inspire the next generation of explorers and scientists. The Planetarium's array of educational programs offer something for everyone, from future space explorers to history buffs and astronomy enthusiasts of all ages and experience levels. More than 430,000 visitors have attended shows at the Planetarium since its opening in 1997.